I measured all temperatures using RivaTuner v2.1 with the Core2 Duo plug-in; this is effectively CoreTemp, as it reads out all the same temperatures. I measured idle and load situations with the case side panel on and the case side panel off at both the stock 2.40GHz speed and an overclocked 3.30GHz speed (1.32V) and with the fan at Lo and Hi. Idle scenarios included only a Windows desktop and RivaTuner open. Load scenarios consisted of two instances of Folding@Home, one on each core. I tested with the side panel off to simulate a case with a better cooling situation, as the NZXT Apollo is known to run a little on the hot side. All temperatures were consistent for five minutes before being recorded to ensure that the temperature was not still changing.

The test system has a 120mm front intake fan, a 120mm rear exhaust fan and a 120mm power supply exhaust fan. The side panel fan opening is blocked off with a piece of paper. All results were recorded at a room temperature of 24 degrees Celsius (roughly 74 degrees Fahrenheit).

I'm very impressed with the performance of the Tower so far. As you can see, having a good source of cool air (provided by having the case side panel off or good air throughput in your case) really adds to the effectiveness of the cooler.

The results are continually impressive even at a high overclock. Again it is evident that good air management is a must to keep this cooler going strong. In a closed case, even at an OC, the Tower's performance still rivals that of the Noctua NH-U12F.

Usage and Conclusion

n practical use, the Tower has a few downsides. When I was moving my motherboard to put the whole thing back in the case, I was overwhelmed by how heavy the cooler was. Really, it's humongous and heavy and I'm almost afraid for my motherboard from all of the torque. Also, the “silent” fan was pretty low noise on Lo, but when raised to Hi it made a distinct buzzing noise, which I could only tolerate with headphones on. Lastly, the installation requires removal of the motherboard and there is almost no flexibility with fan arrangement.

All of these negative aspects, though, are petty when considering the performance and price on this unit. It comes in at about $55.00 on CrazyPC, compared to the $65.00 for the Noctua NH-U12F. Even though it's less expensive, it still holds up strong in hot scenarios and its performance rivals that of the Noctua. The Hi setting fan noise is bothersome, but running the fan at low should be all you ever need. Though I resent having to remove my motherboard, you do with any high-end cooler these days and this installation is comparatively simple, not dealing with any sort of easily lost washers or excessive mounting bracket contraptions.

The Tuniq Tower looks nice in my case window, cools well and doesn't hurt the wallet. Nevertheless, when it comes down to picking a cooler, factors such as weight and especially size come down to personal need. I recommend this cooler to anyone with a mid to full tower case looking for dependable air-cooling.